GB1374253A describes a tower crane comprising a mast, a luffing jib, a lifting unit and a rotation device for rotating the lifting unit. The lifting unit of GB1374253A comprises a proximal part of the luffing jib, a counter-jib supporting a balancing ballast, a securing part arranged between the jib and the counter-jib, as well as a cylinder which is substantially vertical and which is connected, on the one hand, to the jib and, on the other hand, to the mast.
However, the lifting unit of GB1374253A is bulky, which makes it necessary to detach the cylinder from the jib and the mast before transporting the crane. However, in the disassembled configuration, the connection members between jib, cylinder and mast are exposed to shocks and pollution, which reduces their service life due to the multiple disassemblies of the crane. Furthermore, the assembly or disassembly operations of the crane are quite long. Moreover, the number of parts to be managed and stored separately is relatively large.